Daniel Burgess, 11, left, and Andrew Burgess, 9, meet Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen in his office on Tuesday. The brothers are advocating for a bill to reduce food waste in landfills.

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Two young lobbyists' persistence about pollution reduction is winning respect among lawmakers in the Iowa Legislature this year, but it may not be enough to get their bill passed.

Daniel and Andrew Burgess, 11- and 9-year-old brothers from Iowa City, have been advocating for months in favor of legislation requiring the state to promote the reduction of excess food items thrown into the garbage at restaurants.

Their aim is to reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and creates the pollutant methane. ...